Springfield's Vatterott College campus — and all other Vatterott campuses across the U.S. — were abruptly shuttered Monday, with no immediate plans to reopen.

Last fall, the most recent information available, there were 162 students enrolled at the Springfield campus at 3850 S. Campbell Ave. Current numbers of students and employees were not immediately known.

The Missouri-based for-profit career training company posted letters notifying students and employees of the closure. Notices were also posted on the doors.

"To our deep regret, changes in economic and regulatory conditions in recent years have had a significant, prolonged, negative impact on the Vatterott institutions," said the letters, signed Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc., the parent company of the college. "These changes have also made it difficult to secure additional financing or capital."

The company has 21 college campuses in nine states. In Missouri, Vatterott operated in seven locations — Springfield, Berkeley, Joplin, Kansas City, St. Charles, St. Louis and Sunset Hills.

The L'Ecole Culinaire, operated by the same company, were available in Kansas City and St. Louis.

In the letters posted Dec. 17, the company blamed the closures on restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Education that reduced the college's ability to participate in federal financial aid programs.

The letters also explained that a plan to sell the company also recently collapsed. "The department imposed these restrictions despite the presence of an interested buyer and our clear communication that such restrictions would result in the school's closure."

Individuals who were on campus at the time of the Monday closure were instructed to "gather any personal belongings and depart the building."

Of the 162 students enrolled a year ago, 55 percent were age 25 or older, and at least 85 percent were eligible for federal financial aid and Pell grants, which are available to low-income families.

The most popular programs in Springfield included medical assistant, dental hygiene, diesel technology, computer information systems and HVAC.

The closing of Vatterott is not an anomaly. Missouri students have also experienced the closure of Corinthian Colleges — including Everest College, Everest Institute and Everest University — Heritage College, Heritage Institute, ITT Technical Institutes, Regency Beauty Institute and Missouri College.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education was notified of the closing and posted information to help displaced students. Along with details provided by Vatterott, here is what is known:

Transfers

According to the Vatterott letter, the company is trying to identify other schools that may accept current students who have not yet graduated on transfer so they can complete their program or one similar to it.

Students were encouraged to monitor www.vatterott.edu for more information. However, students are not required to participate in any transfer option.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education urged students and their parents not to pay for any service such as loan forgiveness or loan discharge, as the services are provided for free by the department.

For information on GI Bill benefits, students are asked to contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Education Call Center at 1-888-442-4551 or visit the GI Bill website.

Employee pay, benefits

According to the Vatterott letter, employees were expected to be paid through Dec. 17, and final paychecks will be deposited next week.

Employee benefits also ended Dec. 17 and the loss of existing coverage is considered a "life change," allowing individuals to seek alternative coverage.

The company will continue employing "a very small number of individuals" to wrap up final administrative tasks. That employment is expected to be temporary and end in the near future.

Transcripts

According to the department, Vatterott is making plans to permanently store its student records, including official transcripts. It was not immediately clear how soon the copies will be available to students.

Keep track

The department is documenting the extent of the loss suffered by students as a result of the school’s closure.

To that end, the department requests students who were enrolled as of Dec. 17, 2018, to locate copies of their enrollment agreement and canceled checks for payments made to the school. Please submit copies to: Missouri Department of Higher Education, Proprietary School Certification, PO Box 1469, Jefferson City, MO 65102.